Why is the Bridge lowered?
- Thread starter garyl62
- Start date
I just drove my truck over it a few hours ago and didn't even notice!
Scottiking out
Scottiking out
onlypolar4me
Member
garyl62
Active member
So how do they manage stuff like that? Seems like some big truck could roll through and some boat is heading out, you decides what to do? It's not like a drawbridge with an attendant just waiting to raise it up or lower it. I guess I'd think if they move it up and down for truck and boat traffic why don't they do that for ATV traffic?
Believe it or not, it does have an attendant there to raise and lower it when needed. From my understanding, ship traffic has the right of way.
It is about a 15 minute process to raise and lower it. It is the busiest bridge in the state of MI, so it causes quite the issues with backups when being raised/lowered, so doing it for an ATV would cause lots of issues and make ATV haters out of our entire population...including ME!
I'll be honest, for as much of an icon to the area that it is, I wish there was a different way to get to and from the island!
-John
It is about a 15 minute process to raise and lower it. It is the busiest bridge in the state of MI, so it causes quite the issues with backups when being raised/lowered, so doing it for an ATV would cause lots of issues and make ATV haters out of our entire population...including ME!
I'll be honest, for as much of an icon to the area that it is, I wish there was a different way to get to and from the island!
-John
garyl62
Active member
Well shows you what I know. Thanks John.
polarisrider1
New member
Busiest bridge?
I have heard that said by some official, but have my doubts, or might have worded it wrong. I'm sure the Blue Water and Ambassador have more traffic, but are technically 1/2 in Canada and 1/2 in MI. Perhaps there are some other qualifiers at play too (busiest non-fixed?).
In any case, get stuck in traffic when the bridge goes up and you will vote for it not to move for ATV traffic!!!
-John
polarisrider1
New member
Grand Havens draw bridge on 31 with it's tri cities has it beat. But I get what your saying. Another bridge is surely needed.
The reason they will never allow ATV's to use the RR deck is liability. They fenced off the North end to prevent access because of concern for safety and security.
Believe it or not, MDOT says nearly 28,000 vehicles (per TV6 news 6-20-14) cross daily, how many ATV's? Very few.
Believe it or not, MDOT says nearly 28,000 vehicles (per TV6 news 6-20-14) cross daily, how many ATV's? Very few.
Most of the summer (when the ice is gone) the bridge is up... At least this is how it's been for the bridge since I can remember...I've been driving either to Tech or work up that way for the last 22 years and most of the summer it's up for boat traffic. I do agree with John that marine traffic has the right of way.
I do believe the bridge is down now for the start of the states major maintenance project that's going to be going on this winter....There will be a few bridge closures etc and a ton of stuff to be replaced or updated.
m8man
I do believe the bridge is down now for the start of the states major maintenance project that's going to be going on this winter....There will be a few bridge closures etc and a ton of stuff to be replaced or updated.
m8man
garyl62
Active member
Here is an interesting article cut from the MDOT's website:
County: Houghton
City/Township: Houghton
Location: US-41 / Portage Lake
Year Built: 1959
About this Bridge:
This monumental double-deck, vertical lift bridge is the only one of its type in Michigan. It replaced a 1905 steel swing bridge which had in turn replaced an earlier wooden swing bridge. The demands placed on the design of this bridge were quite significant; not only was it necessary to accommodate automobile traffic, railroad and ship traffic also had to be considered. As a result, the vertical lift design was deemed most appropriate. Suspended between two towers, the entire main span rises vertically between them. As long as the towers are built high enough, a vertical-lift bridge can accommodate just about any size ship that needs to pass beneath it.
Moreover, since it is supported at both ends of the main span it is considered sturdy enough to facilitate railroad traffic. The Houghton-Hancock Bridge was designed by Hazelet and Erdal, consulting engineers, Chicago, as a double-deck, vertical-lift structure, with the railroad passing over the lower deck and automobiles across the upper deck. From the beginning, bridge planners stressed the importance on minimizing interruption of automobile traffic flow across the bridge. Hazelet and Erdal solved this problem by designing a railroad deck that could also accommodate cars. When raised to the intermediate, highway level, the railroad deck allowed automobile traffic to continue across the bridge while small- and medium-sized watercraft passed underneath, thus adequately addressing the traffic flow issue.
The bridge opened for automobile traffic in late December 1959, but it was not fully completed until early the following year. At a cost of $11 million, including a federal appropriation of $1.3 million, it was the heaviest lift bridge ever constructed.
The Houghton-Hancock Bridge was formally dedicated with a large celebration on June 25, 1960. Marching bands and troop columns paraded across the bridge, and the jet tankers and fighters flew over the structure.
While the last train crossed the Houghton-Hancock Bridge in the summer of 1982, officially ending over one hundred years of railroad service across the channel, the double deck design is still used in various ways. The vertical-lift span sits in the intermediate level nine months out of the year, thus allowing small to medium-sized pleasure craft access to either side of the bridge: large watercraft rarely use the channel anymore. As a result, automobile traffic crosses on the railroad deck. In the winter, the bridge is lowered and made accessible to snowmobiles and skiers, while automobiles cross on the upper deck.
While every bridge has its problems, the unique design of the Houghton-Hancock Bridge allows for some strangely amusing ones. On June 24, 1960, the day before the official dedication, the steamer J.F. Schoellkopf almost collided with the crossing. Captain Albert Wilhelmy reported that he sounded the whistle signal for the bridge to open, but it never did. Reacting quickly he ordered the engines reversed and dropped anchor. Unfortunately for the people of Hancock, the anchor became entangled in two of six Michigan Bell telephone cables that crossed the bottom of the channel. The steamer ran aground in shallow water, and telephone service was cut off to 1,000 customers in and around Hancock. The bridge operator said he never heard the signal. The steamer was soon cut loose from the cables, towed back into the channel, and continued her journey.
The vertical-lift span did not always operate correctly. During a test of equipment in the spring of 1983, the bridge stalled partway up the tower due to a loss of power. About an hour and a half later the span was once again moving. In the fall of that same year more tension was created when the lift span froze in place. An oncoming steamer was forced to drop anchor and dock to avoid colliding with the structure. After about seventeen minutes the bridge operators got the span moving again. On September 9, 1989, an ironic twist found Joe Sterbenz, a former bridge operator, and his new bride, Joanne, trapped atop the lift span with their wedding party. Joe and Joanne had decided to get married on the raised bridge; a broken hydraulic line stranded them there for a few hours. Despite periodic problems, the bridge has served its purpose well.
County: Houghton
City/Township: Houghton
Location: US-41 / Portage Lake
Year Built: 1959
About this Bridge:
This monumental double-deck, vertical lift bridge is the only one of its type in Michigan. It replaced a 1905 steel swing bridge which had in turn replaced an earlier wooden swing bridge. The demands placed on the design of this bridge were quite significant; not only was it necessary to accommodate automobile traffic, railroad and ship traffic also had to be considered. As a result, the vertical lift design was deemed most appropriate. Suspended between two towers, the entire main span rises vertically between them. As long as the towers are built high enough, a vertical-lift bridge can accommodate just about any size ship that needs to pass beneath it.
Moreover, since it is supported at both ends of the main span it is considered sturdy enough to facilitate railroad traffic. The Houghton-Hancock Bridge was designed by Hazelet and Erdal, consulting engineers, Chicago, as a double-deck, vertical-lift structure, with the railroad passing over the lower deck and automobiles across the upper deck. From the beginning, bridge planners stressed the importance on minimizing interruption of automobile traffic flow across the bridge. Hazelet and Erdal solved this problem by designing a railroad deck that could also accommodate cars. When raised to the intermediate, highway level, the railroad deck allowed automobile traffic to continue across the bridge while small- and medium-sized watercraft passed underneath, thus adequately addressing the traffic flow issue.
The bridge opened for automobile traffic in late December 1959, but it was not fully completed until early the following year. At a cost of $11 million, including a federal appropriation of $1.3 million, it was the heaviest lift bridge ever constructed.
The Houghton-Hancock Bridge was formally dedicated with a large celebration on June 25, 1960. Marching bands and troop columns paraded across the bridge, and the jet tankers and fighters flew over the structure.
While the last train crossed the Houghton-Hancock Bridge in the summer of 1982, officially ending over one hundred years of railroad service across the channel, the double deck design is still used in various ways. The vertical-lift span sits in the intermediate level nine months out of the year, thus allowing small to medium-sized pleasure craft access to either side of the bridge: large watercraft rarely use the channel anymore. As a result, automobile traffic crosses on the railroad deck. In the winter, the bridge is lowered and made accessible to snowmobiles and skiers, while automobiles cross on the upper deck.
While every bridge has its problems, the unique design of the Houghton-Hancock Bridge allows for some strangely amusing ones. On June 24, 1960, the day before the official dedication, the steamer J.F. Schoellkopf almost collided with the crossing. Captain Albert Wilhelmy reported that he sounded the whistle signal for the bridge to open, but it never did. Reacting quickly he ordered the engines reversed and dropped anchor. Unfortunately for the people of Hancock, the anchor became entangled in two of six Michigan Bell telephone cables that crossed the bottom of the channel. The steamer ran aground in shallow water, and telephone service was cut off to 1,000 customers in and around Hancock. The bridge operator said he never heard the signal. The steamer was soon cut loose from the cables, towed back into the channel, and continued her journey.
The vertical-lift span did not always operate correctly. During a test of equipment in the spring of 1983, the bridge stalled partway up the tower due to a loss of power. About an hour and a half later the span was once again moving. In the fall of that same year more tension was created when the lift span froze in place. An oncoming steamer was forced to drop anchor and dock to avoid colliding with the structure. After about seventeen minutes the bridge operators got the span moving again. On September 9, 1989, an ironic twist found Joe Sterbenz, a former bridge operator, and his new bride, Joanne, trapped atop the lift span with their wedding party. Joe and Joanne had decided to get married on the raised bridge; a broken hydraulic line stranded them there for a few hours. Despite periodic problems, the bridge has served its purpose well.
yoopermike
New member
Snippet from an article I saved:
MDOT will perform upgrades and preventive maintenance work on the Portage Lake Lift Bridge between Houghton and Hancock from mid-December 2014 to mid-April 2016. This $5.5 million project includes lift cable replacement, balance chain maintenance, electrical and mechanical upgrades, security system improvements, spot painting and new barrier gates.
The project will require several long-term nighttime closures of the bridge and numerous short-term closures.
MDOT will perform upgrades and preventive maintenance work on the Portage Lake Lift Bridge between Houghton and Hancock from mid-December 2014 to mid-April 2016. This $5.5 million project includes lift cable replacement, balance chain maintenance, electrical and mechanical upgrades, security system improvements, spot painting and new barrier gates.
The project will require several long-term nighttime closures of the bridge and numerous short-term closures.
mezz
Well-known member
If it's more than 4 hours consultant your doctor
On a serious note some trucks are too big to fit between the lower level and bottom of the upper deck. In that case they will lower the bridge for more height clearance
You might to re-check that, the lift span doesn't hang lower than the tower clearances which are on the outside. Perhaps the lowering on occasion is to just to make sure all is in proper working order.-Mezz
Maybe the guy with the lever is on a power trip...
"I have the lever and you don't" I can hear this coming from him....
m8man
I know year's ago when there was a wildfire just north of Gay I was having dinner in Hardee's and watched a DNR semi pulling a flatbed with a large dozer running red lights and all. The bridge was up and they stopped the truck and had it wait to drop the bridge so it could cross the upper deck, always assumed it was a height issue but maybe it had to do with the weight of the load? Don't know if both decks can support the same load or maybe the bridge has a higher rating when it is down all the way all I know is they stopped him until they dropped the bridge down?